Tignes-Val d'Isere

Is Tignes-Val d'Isere worth it?

Yes, especially if you're a good skier. It's smaller than the giants like the 3 Vallees, so if you love day trips you'll notice, but it's still big enough for a great week of riding, with a lot to explore even away from the pistes. There are a lot of difficult and challenging runs, and the off-piste is great. We recommend every keen skier goes at least once; we wouldn't miss it.

Three things drag it down. It's expensive: cheaper than the top 3 Vallees resorts, about on a par with Mottaret or Les Menuires, and pricier than Italy. The weather in the upper Isère valley is severe and changes fast. And it's harder than both the 3 Vallees and Paradiski, so we wouldn't send a beginner here given the choice.

Our insider tip: be ready for harsh weather and enjoy the different conditions it brings. If you can, bring or rent a second pair of skis for the days after a big snowfall.

Our verdict and scores come from our own trips. Local tips come from the Ski Muse team and our community.

Which village to choose

The area was called Espace Killy until 2013, and you'll still see that name on older maps and guides. It's really two resorts on either side of a ridge, linked so well the boundary almost disappears. Choose Val d'Isère for the family experience, if everyone skis well: ski-in, ski-out, a real village and the best nightlife. Choose Tignes if you're a party or young group, or if some of you are beginners: it's lively, has more apartments and budget options, and a few easier runs. Tignes also has Le Lavachet, next to Le Lac, and Tignes 1800, above Les Brévières. Our Val d'Isère or Tignes guide compares them village by village.

1,850 mVal d'Isere4.5Ski-in, ski-out, the best nightlife in the area and iconic runs on the doorstep, but no easy way home.

1,785 mLa DailleGuideThe lower end of Val d'Isère, with La Folie Douce at the top of its gondola and the only blue run home.

1,930 mLe FornetGuideThe quiet far end of Val d'Isère, a small hamlet below the Pisaillas glacier and the Col de l'Iseran.

2,100 mTignes Le LacGuideThe lively heart of Tignes by the lake, with more apartments, more budget options and easier runs than Val d'Isère.

2,100 mVal ClaretGuideTignes' highest village, at the foot of the Grande Motte glacier, where the long reds from 3,456 m end.

1,550 mLes BrevieresGuideThe lowest village in Tignes, a traditional hamlet in the trees where La Sache finishes.

The skiing

Experts

Our favourite is La Face de Bellevarde, the 1992 Olympic downhill from the top of the Olympique into Val d'Isère. It's really challenging, both bumpy and icy in many sections. Over in Tignes, La Sache runs about 10 km from the Aiguille Percée to Les Brévières, never groomed. The five blacks to know: La Sache, La Face, Johan Clarey, Forêt and Épaule du Charvet. See our guide to La Face and La Sache and our best reds and blacks.

The long red from the glacier is an amazing experience. It often takes you above the clouds, even in bad weather.On the Grande Motte

Intermediates

Go high: the reds from the Grande Motte glacier down to Val Claret, with Double M, a legendary carving run, at the end. Pramecou, off the Col des Vès chair near Val Claret, is fun in good visibility. In Val d'Isère, Arcelle on Solaise is a fast, consistent 2 km red into the quiet Manchet valley; ski it after 10:30, once the shade has let it soften. Johan Clarey and the other Tovière blacks into Le Lac ski much like reds until the steep finish, so a confident intermediate can try them in good conditions.

Beginners and families

Not the best place to learn, mostly because there's no easy run back into Val d'Isère village. Tignes is the friendlier side. There are good beginner zones, though: the greens at the top of the Olympique (Génépy, La Verte, Borsat and Fresse) plus Grand Pré by the Val d'Isère sign, the Ski Tranquille area at the top of Solaise, the long Pisaillas glacier blues, and Génépy in Tignes, a 4.5 km blue from the Grande Motte. Our guide for beginners and intermediates has the details.

Off-piste

This is one of the great off-piste areas in the Alps, and our top must-do after La Folie Douce. There's wide-open terrain from the top down towards Tignes, and quite a few nice runs through the woods.

Get a guide. Avalanche control on European off-piste is much lighter than in North America, so the risk is yours. Locals warn against skiing off the top of the Leissières chair, because of ledges and rocks, and the Cugnai area off Solaise is a gateway to off-piste best skied with a guide.

More in our off-piste guide.

Lift pass, weather and getting stuck

Get the full Tignes–Val d'Isère pass. Advanced skiers will want to travel, and beginners are better off heading to Tignes anyway.

Queues are rarely a problem. We only saw them at the village base lifts, and on a few lifts in bad weather when the alternatives closed. Otherwise skiers spread out evenly.

The link between the two resorts is quick, usually 1 or 2 lifts, so you can head back whenever you like; aim for about 16:00. In bad weather the link stayed open for us, but the pistes back to Val d'Isère may be left unmaintained, so you might ski home in rough conditions. The one link we've seen close is between Le Fornet and Val d'Isère. If its chair stops, it's about a 30-minute walk across the ridge.

The biggest first-timer mistake is not preparing for the weather. It changes very fast here, so bring layers and be ready to adapt your plans mid-day.

See when to go for the season and the best weeks.

Eat, après and stay

La Folie Douce, at the top of the La Daille gondola, is a must: always a great atmosphere, good food and surprisingly a lot of seating space, with a basement floor as well. Inside, La Cucùcina serves contemporary Italian with a cabaret show. In the village, Cocorico at the foot of Solaise is the high-energy après as the last runs come in. More in our La Folie Douce guide and our restaurant guide.

On the mountain

Le Refuge at the top of the Solaise gondola, for an elevated Savoyard lunch on a big sunny terrace. La Peau de Vache, hidden on La Face, for cult burgers and one of the best views of the village. Datcha, at the bottom of Col de la Madeleine, for hot chocolate or an Irish coffee. Le Panoramic, halfway up the Grande Motte, for the view.

In the village

Palladio, the Italian inside Airelles; Le 1789 for wood-fire grills; La Grande Ourse, a Savoyard chalet at the foot of Solaise since 1936; Poya for modern Alpine food and cocktails; and La Baraque, with live music and oysters, popular with locals.

Where to stay

In Val d'Isère: Airelles, Le Blizzard, Chalet Izia and Le Refuge de Solaise at the top (five star); Experimental Chalet, Avenue Lodge and Tsanteleina (four star); Victoria Lodge and Hôtel Altitude (three star). The lower Santons area is a good spot for a chalet, since almost everything there is ski-in, ski-out. In Tignes: Maison Bouvier in Val Claret (five star); Village Montana and Les Campanules in Le Lac (four star); La Vanoise and Le Paquis in Le Lac (three star). In Le Fornet: Hôtel Avancher.

Getting there

Val d'Isère is at the very top of the Tarentaise valley. Chambéry is the closest airport, about 2 hours away and mostly served by seasonal ski flights. Geneva has the most flights and is 2.5 to 3 hours away. Trains, including the Eurostar connection from London via Paris, stop at Bourg-Saint-Maurice, 30 to 45 minutes from both resorts by bus or taxi. Travel early in the day: many resorts share the one road up the valley, and Saturday is transfer day.

A private transfer costs about €350 to €600 per vehicle each way, a shared one €60 to €120 per person, and a helicopter from Geneva or Chambéry takes 30 to 40 minutes. To save money and queues, go in January rather than at Christmas or in the February half-term, and book your lift pass in advance.

Our getting there guide has the full details.